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An offseason move-in from Louisiana, Adam Hebert told his new coaches at Poteet that he'd been one of the fastest juniors in his old home state.
"We were like, ‘Yeah, right,'" track and field coach Carlos Saenz said.
Then Hebert beat J.J. Moses, Poteet's fastest athlete, in an informal footrace, prompting Saenz to double-check Hebert's claims on the Internet. Sure enough, his name immediately popped up, most notably for placing second in the 100-meter dash, third in the 200 and third in the long jump at last year's Class 5A state meet.
"People have always commented on my running ability,"Â said Hebert, who moved from St. Amant in southeastern Louisiana last summer to live with his mother in Poteet.
He's gotten plenty of attention this year, routinely winning multiple events at each of Poteet's meets. He earned four firsts at last week's District 27-3A meet â€" the 100, 200, long jump and triple jump â€" while anchoring a second-place finish in the 400 relay.
Though his times don't rank among the area leaders, Saenz said that's more a result of not having faced stiff competition than a lack of raw speed.
"He's been smoking everyone in the 100,"Â Saenz said. "He hasn't really been pushed yet in the 200. He usually runs as fast as he needs to."Â
Swift as Hebert is, his leaping skills stand out the most.
Hebert amazed onlookers several weeks ago during a meet in Marion with a scratched long jump of 25 feet, 3 inches. For comparison, the area record is 24-71/2, set in 1962 by Herb Stevens of Highlands.
Marion coach Glenn Davis estimates Hebert was about half a foot over the board. Regardless, the jump was so impressive Davis still had it measured.
"When he jumped, everybody just went, ‘Oh my gosh,'" Davis said. "None of us had ever seen a jump like that. He's a lot of fun to watch."Â
Hebert proved it was no fluke by leaping 24-0 last week at district, the best long jump by an area athlete since Judson's Andrew Gamble went 24-11/4 in 2001.
"I was hoping to get (24-0) this year," said Hebert, who also has four home runs â€" two inside the park â€" as a full-time starter on Poteet's baseball team. "I'm glad I finally got it."Â
Provided he qualifies at next week's Region IV-3A meet, a similar jump should give Hebert an opportunity to win the state championship in mid-May.
"Oh yeah, that's the goal,"Â he said. "More than one event, hopefully."Â